"22 Or 50, Law Equal For All": Delhi Police On Activist Disha Ravi

With the Delhi Police intensifying its probe into a farmers' protest toolkit shared by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg earlier this month, the role of farmer leaders may also be probed, sources have said. The Delhi Police have also written to video communications app Zoom, say sources, to seek details of the attendees at a virtual meeting on January 11, which was also attended by activists Disha Ravi, Nikita Jacob, Shantanu.

All three of them attended the meeting before the Republic Day to gather online support for the farmers' tractor rally that descended into chaos in some parts of the national capital. Facing conspiracy and sedition charges, Disha Ravi was arrested last week. Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk are also wanted in the case linked to the online document.

The Delhi Police are also trying to probe funding in the toolkit case, sources have said, adding they have so far not got a reply from Google on the document being investigated.

International Farmers' Strike - one of the WhatsApp groups formed on December 6 - is also being probed.

Twenty-two-years old activist Disha Ravi's arrest last week from Bengaluru was condemned by farmers and opposition leaders. Amid outrage, Delhi Police yesterday said that all protocols were followed during the arrest.

Today, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava told reporters, "We have filed cases pertaining to the Republic Day violence. Probe is on in the toolkit case. Many more details are yet to be revealed."

"Disha Ravi has been arrested after following all due processes. Whether someone is 22 or 50 years old, law treats everyone equally. The court was in agreement with the decision to arrest her... and we were given the remand for five days," he added.

Last week, farmers' umbrella body the Samyukta Kisaan Morcha had demanded a high-level judicial inquiry into the violence that took place during the tractor rally in Delhi on January 26 and the "false" cases slapped on the farmers, news agency PTI reported. 

More than 100 farmers had been arrested over the tractor rally violence, Ravinder Singh, a protesters' representative, told reporters, adding that the SKM "will provide legal and financial aid to all the arrested farmers". 

Earlier this month, tweets from pop icon Rihanna and Ms Thunberg had put the farmers' protest against three new agricultural laws on global radar.

However, the centre in an unprecedented reaction had said: "Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken."